No Fewer Than 6 Lose Their Lives in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Military Recruitment Drive
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives during a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a sports arena in the West African nation.
The Wednesday's "tragic" event appeared to have been triggered by "an unexpected surge of candidates who breached security protocols and stormed the gates," announced a statement from the nation's military.
22 additional individuals were hurt, including 5 who are in serious state.
Thousands had turned up at El-Wak stadium, in the main city, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of about 32%, the most recent government statistics indicate, and such enlistment drives typically attract massive gatherings and often lead to disorderly situations.
The closing date to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a seven days to accommodate more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the process.
Military representative Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin stated the stampede occurred before the planned commencement time of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader President John Mahama has gone to see the injured in medical care.
Calm has been reestablished, and the enlistment process has now begun.
